🚀 go-pugleaf

This document was prepared at the World Conference on
Women in Beijing by the following organisations:

Agencia Latinoamericana de Informacion (ALAI),
Association for Progressive Communications (APC),
Centro de Estudios de la Mujer (CEM),
International Women's Tribune Center (IWTC),
Media Advocacy Group (MAG),
World Association of Community Radio Broadcasters (AMARC).


                  NGO Communications Strategy Proposal


In recognition of the fact that communications and information
play a strategic role in every realm of social, political,
cultural and economic activity, for the first time, these topics
figure prominently on the agenda of a World Conference on Women.
Point J of the Platform for Action states the need to "increase
the participation and enhance the access of women to expression
and decision-making in and through the media and new technologies
of communication."

The women communicators and media organizations participating in
the communications caucus of the Fourth World Conference on Women
reaffirm that the right to communication and information is a
human right, which requires adopting a global policy that will
guarantee women's democratic access to all communications systems
and media.  Communications processes with a gender perspective,
must be open, pluralistic, and respectful of diversity and
freedom of expression and thought.

In order to guarantee access to information and the means of
expression, a multi-media communications initiative is required,
adapted to different languages, cultures and visions, and to
women's diverse access to communications channels.

Consequently, we propose the following communications strategy
for follow-up to the FWCW and NGO Forum, designed to support the
dissemination and implementation of the resolutions of these
events and to increase women's access to communication and media.
This strategy, which should address the communications needs of
the community as a whole, women's networks and grassroots
organizations, contemplates the following aspects:

1) Promote and strengthen women's alternative media:  The
development of alternative media is fundamental to this
initiative due to their links with grassroots movements and their
experience in building a communications process that responds to
the needs of these movements. This will contribute to a greater
democratization of communications.

2) Access to information:  Access to information is a basic human
right and therefore a women's right.  Without access to
information, women cannot adequately participate in democratic
and decision-making processes. If women are not aware of their
rights, if they are not informed of the outcome of this
Conference, they will not be able to effectively mobilize for the
implementation of the Platform for Action.

3) Access to the means of expression, particularly in the
mainstream media:  With globalization of the media and the advent
of satellite television, access to media, both print and
electronic, is an absolute necessity for women and other
unempowered groups.  Their absence and marginalization in the
mass media implies their social disenfranchisement, which will
result in weakening civil society.

4) Networking for coordination and information exchange:
Follow-up activities to monitor and implement the UN Platform for
Action will only be effective if women's organizations are able
to network, coordinate actions and exchange information
nationally, regionally and globally. Broad access to adequate
communications channels is a fundamental prerequiste to achieve
this.

Actions to be taken:

- Increase women's community radio and television programming,
  adapted to local needs and languages, in both urban and rural
  areas.

- Produce visual printed materials in comprehensible language
  that share information on issues that affect women's daily
  lives.

- Make documentation sources available relating to the decisions
  and progress of the Platform for Action and other related
  issues, via printed and electronic media.

- Consistently monitor the portrayal and employment of women in
  the media to ensure greater gender equality and non-sexist
  portrayal.  This media monitoring should be coordinated
  globally and regionally.

- Employ diverse communications media for women's networking,
  incorporating traditional community circuits, alternative
  media, computer networks and others.  By interlinking these
  channels, using computer networks as an international backbone,
  a truly global networking system can be built, which will seek
  to incorporate women who have been marginalized by lack of
  access to literacy, information or technology.

- Seek to develop relations and liaise between women's
  organizations and media with the aim of broadening and
  deepening media coverage of women's issues.

- Encourage and support the development of media literacy
  programs at all educational levels in order to develop among
  citizens critical analysis and monitoring skills.

- Develop gender-sensitive training programs for women trainers
  in communications practice, policy and new technologies.

Beijing, September 14 1995



______________________________________________________________
   Association mondiale des radiodiffuseurs communautaires
      World Association of Community Radio Broadcasters
          Asociacion mundial de radios comunitarias
3575 Blvd. St. Laurent, Suite 704     Email: amarc@web.apc.org
Montreal, Quebec                         Tel: (1-514) 982-0351
CANADA  H2X 2T7                          Fax: (1-514) 849-7129
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~